The History of Remneros
by GreatWyrmGold
Summary: An introduction to a crossover setting between a Song of Ice and Fire (alias Game of Thrones) and RWBY. May be expanded into a story at some point in the future.
1. Preface A: History

Inspired by a conversation on Reddit.I'll probably post another chapter covering the Kingdoms, Principalities, and Houses of Remneros at some point; if these are well-received, I'll continue with their version of Robert's Rebellion.

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_Editor's Note: The following are excerpts from Grand Maester Bartholomew's Histories of Remneros, written during the reign of King Aeros II._

**Volume Two: The Age of Heroes: Bright Summers and Long Nights**

**Chapter 3: The Long Night**

Every child knows that some winters are short and warm, while others are long and frigid. Approximately eight thousand years ago, there was a winter far worse than any before or since. It is said that the sun did not rise for a generation, a generation of pale, blind, and starving children. While some question the details, none doubt that Others (or "Grim Creatures," as the smallfolk refer to them) came from the eternally frozen north. They ravaged the lands of the First Men, who only drove them off with the aid of the Children of Dust...

...while some records suggest that those slain by the Others would rise again, as a form of humanoid Other known as a "wight" or a "black walker". Others speculate on their weaknesses-this metal or that stone, sunlight and running water and the four-pointed star. These reports have never been confirmed, however, and if the Four are kind we will not have an opportunity to do so...

All of these legends about the Others seem quite improbable, not in the least due to their failure to return in these past eight millennia. Some scholars, myself included, suspect that these legends are of nothing more than an unusually fearsome or well-organized tribe of faunus...

In the wake of Long Night, the First Men did not hesitate to prepare for if the Others should return. Bertrand the Builder, the legendary founder of House Schnee, raised the Wall to the far north; meanwhile, the Huntsmen who now man the Wall were founded, patrolling it and the lands beyond in case these worst foes of man should return...

**Volume Three: Ironmen, Andals and Rhoynar: Invaders of the First Men Kingdoms**

**Chapter 1: The Sunset Invaders**

The ironmen come from a distant land across the Sunset Sea...

The ancestors of the ironmen practiced a strange religion, worshiping a dualistic pair of entities, a god of the sea and one of the sun. The sea god was loved, but the sun god also had to be appeased. Sacrifices were made to both, with great men sacrificed to their Drowned God and prisoners sacrificed to their Burnt God...

One of the more peculiar aspects of ironmen culture is the "kingsmoot," which some believe to be derived not from their ancestors' culture but the faunus who lived on some of the isles before the ironmen came. Regardless of its origin, it is the method by which the king of the ironmen was chosen before their annexation by the Iron Throne. Upon the death of their king, all notable ironmen gather; any who wish to become king may make their case in front of the moot. It is traditional for these men to bring gifts for the others. Each candidate is cheered on by his or her supporters; whoever has the most support by the end becomes king. The new king is almost always a child of the old one, usually the eldest, although sometimes another candidate has greater support.

They conquered the islands along the western coast of Remneros, but did not make significant advances into the mainland First Men kingdoms before the Andals arrived. Their culture mingled with that of the locals to an extent...

**Chapter 4: Andals Before Remneros**

The Andals are said to come from the northern parts of Essant, before coming to Westeros some time between four and six thousand years ago (though some claim they came as recent as two thousand years ago, which would require that the Rhoynar arrived scarcely after the Andals finished conquering the First Men). While their date of arrival and lands of origin are in dispute, none can argue that they have been the dominant culture of Remneros ever since...

Andal culture has left its marks even in the North, where the blood of the First Men flows as pure as any man can claim any blood. The most obvious aspect is the Faith of the Four, but the Andal influence goes far more subtle, from art to metalworking...the tradition of knighthood is essentially Andal, and seems to be largely unchanged since their arrival (aside from the various knightly orders founded in the meantime, and of courseminor changes like the abandonment of iron arms for steel);...but the most important gift the Andals brought was their system of writing. Without it, we would have little to no histories of times before our own.

Andal culture has remained largely unchanged through the milennia, aside from mixing with First Men, Rhoynar, and more distant cultures...

**Chapter 17: The Rhoynar**

While the Rhoynar and their southern kingdom have never been permanently bound to the Iron Throne, Dorne is still a part of Remneros; hence, their culture and history deserves some note in these volumes.

Fleeing the Valyrians _(see Volume Six)_, the Rhoynar came to Remneros approximately one thousand years ago. The refugees, lead by a warrior-queen named Nymeria, forged an alliance with House Arc of Dorne by marrying Nymeria to Moor Arc; with the combined might of the Rhoynar refugees and one of the most powerful houses in Dorne, they conquered those southern lands...

...In modern times, the Remnerosi Rhoynar keep few of these traditions, with their uniquely restrictive views on gender being the only to survive. There are exceptions, but these are only nomads living on the rivers...

**Chapter 19: Kingdoms, Marriages, and the Kingdoms As They Stand**

...however, out of these seven First Men kingdoms, only the North remains. Some call it Atlas's Kingdom, after Atlas Schnee, a king who so famously held off the combined might of the Rhoynar to the south in their last and greatest crusade. They were replaced with the four great Southron kingdoms-The Reach, the Stormlands, the Vale, and the Westlands-and a great many lesser ones. The Iron Isles remained pure, in culture if not blood, but few have ever considered them to be First Men, least of all the ironmen themselves.

Sadly, the Reach did not survive an alliance between the Clouds of the Stormlands and the Casterlies of Casterly Rock, with many lesser kingdoms and even Dorne taking their share of the fertile lands. The Schnees took Highgarden, but the Casterlies took what was left of House Garden's lands and much else besides, while the Storm Kings claimed the tributaries of the Mander and the Dornish took Oldtown. The Riverlands, devoid of any natural borders remained divided between a loose alliance of river kings and the Ironmen until Touvlo's Conquest...

The Iron Age was a few centuries before the Ozpins set foot in Remneros...The Ironmen drove the Clouds out of the Riverlands, and even managed to crush the Casterly armies. King Xiong Wuzei replaced as many Westlands lords with ironmen as he could, including giving Casterly Rock to his bastard nephew, Shandian Salt; over time, his branch of the Xiongs became known as the Xiaolanns, because of their close association with Lannstree. After Yueliang bent the knee, they were mocked by the Ironmen as the "Xiaolongs," roughly "Dragon's Xiongs"; under the rule of King Touvlo II Ozpin the Unyielding, they took this name as their own. Their kingdom was still Westermen, however; while some cultural elements of the Iron Isles filtered down to the populace from both the nobles and ironmen settling the coasts, there was more flowing the opposite direction; the current inhabitants of the Westlands are sometimes called "goldmen," particularly by their cousins in the Iron Isles...

**Volume Six: The Valyrian Freehold, the Doom, and House Ozpin, Last of the Dragonlords: How the Kings of Remneros Came to Rise and Fall**

**Chapter 1: The Might of the Dragonlords**

The Valyrians were once humble shepherds, until they learned to domesticate dragons...while the Dragonlords did not claim imperial titles, they were an empire in all but name, controlling Essos from the Narrow Sea to the Red Wastes. The farthest west is came was to Dragonstone and other islands in the mouth of the Blackwater Bay; for whatever reason, they did not choose to settle in Remneros itself. The eastern extent of their empire is disputed...

**Chapter Chapter 7: Dragons**

Some brothers of my order question the legends about dragons, and some even their mere existence. I could wax long on reports of dragons and their eggs, of each generation's dragons growing steadily weaker until none but stunted whelps remained, and of the skulls displayed in the royal throne room. None of these is the greatest proof of dragons' existence and power, however; that would be the unification of so many disparate realms into one...

The best-known power of dragons is their breath. Some claim they channeled the purest of magics, while others suggest a connection to the Children of Dust. What the truth is is that dragons had varied types of energy, projected from the mouth, and that the breath of a mature dragon could devastate armies...

**Volume Seven: Touvlo Ozpin the Conqueror: The Man Who Forged the Iron Throne**

**Chapter 1: The Conquest of Dragonstone**

Approximately two centuries before the Doom of Valyria, the Freehold annexed several large islands and countless smaller ones in the Narrow Sea, not far from Crackclaw Point...These islands provide sufficient fishing, almost no agriculture, and few natural resources aside from gems and fog. Why these islands were considered of importance to the Valyrians is unknown, although some claim it was a precursor to an invasion of Remneros that the Doom stopped in its tracks...

The Ozpin dynasty that rules Remneros to this day thus started as near the lowest of families in Valyria, holding nothing more than some mean isles. Their only blessing was being sufficiently far from the Valyrian heartland to be spared the Doom which ruined so many great families. From such lowly stock rose such great kings; how is this possible? The Ozpins had dragons.

**Chapter 12: The Aftermath of the Conquest**

Some men believe that war is clean, and that its spoils amount to no greater hassle than redrawing some maps, performing some funerals, and perhaps drafting new heraldry. These men are fools who I pray never receive a crown...

Yueliang Xiaolann bent his knee to Touvlo willingly, and so the Westlands were spared the horrors of war. Not all houses were so lucky. The Valkyries, loyal to the Ozpins, were raised to the Eyrie; meanwhile, the Clouds were even more devastated than their kingdom—which some named the Vacant Lands thereafter, leading to its modern name of Vacuo—and their seat at Storm's End was given to Fotia Torchwick, rumored to be the bastard half-brother of Touvlo...

The Riverlands were conquered, their ironmen driven to the isles or the Westlands. Over their lands were placed Prota Nikos, the first Riverland lord to pledge loyalty to the Ozpins...

**Chapter 13: The Iron Isles and Dorne**

The Iron Isles were resistant to capture. While their armies were shattered in the Riverlands, they still ruled the seas, and neither Touvlo nor his son Dromos had the dragons to deal with all of the little fleets raiding across the coasts and preventing the large-scale army transport required to conquer them with men...

**Volume Nine: Osto Ozpin the Great: Remneros Is United**

**Chapter 5: The Iron Islands**

...Osto knew he could not convince the iron men to give up their freedom, not could he conquer them traditionally. They were helped by a woman named Karasu, one of king Xiong Chao's mistresses. She killed him, forcing a kingsmoot; the moot was joined by King Osto, his Kingsguard, and several of his other warriors and advisers (including his Hand, Aima the Terrible). Osto stated his intention to become king of the Iron Islands; none present objected. Many of the islands were placed under the leadership of other Lords Paramount, while Karasu was made Princess of the remaining Isles, as well as the Cape of Eagles...

**Chapter 9: The Dornish Wedding**

The one thing which nearly everyone remembers about the life of Osto Ozpin is his marriage to Joan Arc, which finally united the continent...

**Chapter 22: The Aftermath of Osto's Death**

Unfortunately, Osto did not die as great as he lived. By law, the eldest legitimate child of a lord inherits his title and holdings, with some exceptions including childless lords, Dornish succession, and lords with multiple titles or great holdfasts. There may sometimes be dispute over if these exceptions apply, or if a lord can choose someone else as his heir, and occasionally one sees a claim that the apparent heir is a bastard, but on the whole succession is usually handled with grace. This was not the case with Osto.

There were several claimants to the throne; the most notable were Osto's eldest trueborn daughter, Lemfos Ozpin, known as the Dragonfool; his second-eldest daughter, Myelou Ozpin, known as Osto's Shadow (who claimed that Osto declared her his heir because he knew Lemfos was incapable of ruling); his eldest son, Auge "the Eye" (who claimed that, since both he and his father were in Dorne when the latter died, Dornish succession applied); his bastard daughter, Aima the Terrible (who claimed that Osto legitimized her on his deathbed, making her the heir); and Vrachos Ozpin, Myelou's son (who, like his aunt, claimed Lemfos was incapable of ruling, but not that Osto declared any particular heir in her stead). In addition, Hai Rivers (a half-ironman bastard calling himself Hai Vasilias) declared himself King of the Trident and raised arms against both the Iron Throne and House Nikos; Alleen Schnee declared herself Queen in the North; Audaz Neuf declared the Reach to exist once more as an independent kingdom; and a secret kingsmoot lead to civil war between Lie Karasu and Xiong Feng.

While there were other rebellions and divisions, some of which lead to men or women giving themselves royal crowns and titles, Lemfos, Myelou, Auge, Aima, Vrachos, Hai, Aleen, Audaz, and Feng were the most notable, and remain the most-remembered. Thus, this period is often called the War of the Nine Petty Kings...

With Aima's marriage to Vrachos, most of the conflict ceased. While Audaz Neuf and his heirs were all slain, the Reach remained resistant to incorporation; in the end, it was accepted as a fourth principality alongside the Riverlands, the Iron Islands, and Dorne, with Abelio Belladonna as the first Prince of the Reach.

_Editor's Note: Grand Maester Bartholomew is collecting notes for a tenth volume, but does not believe the reign of Queen Aima and the reign of Aeros II thus far are sufficient to fill one. He has requested that these notes be compiled and published, should he die before he finishes said volume._


	2. Preface B: The Kingdoms

Those among you with keen eyes who have been rereading the first segment for some reason will notice that I've made many changes to it, as I noticed tyops or errors, or changed my mind/realized I left in something from earlier mind-drafts. Hopefully, this isn't too confusing.

Also, this was originally going to contain both the Four Kingdoms and Principalities _and_ the Houses, great and small, but it was becoming one of my largest documents before I had filled in many details or even written a single word about houses in most of the lands.

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_Editor's Note: The following are compiled excerpts from Grand Maester Bartholomew's Lands of Remneros, an incomplete, fragmented manuscript at time of writing. The borders may be difficult to understand, especially for those not well acquainted with the geography of Westeros_—I mean, Remneros—_so the editor has crudely cobbled a map for more clear visualization..__.which FF.n won't let me give you the URL of, great._

**Introduction**

Remneros is a land divided into four kingdoms and four principalities. The kingdoms are, by law, all held by the King of the Iron Throne, with their lands being managed by the Lords Paramount; by contrast, the Princes are explicitly vassals of the Iron Throne. Despite this, the greatest Princes are generally considered to be less than the lowest Lords Paramount. _Editor's note: This section is derived from a single sheet of parchment. Scraps of paragraph have been written and crossed out, with the above sentences being a summary of the most common of them. Also present are a few doodles._

**The Crownlands**

The Crownlands are bounded in the north by a line between Duskendale and the source of Godstear, in the south by such between Blackwater Bay and the source of the Mander, in the east by Blackwater Bay, and in the west by Godstear. All islands in Blackwater Bay or along Cracklaw Point are also part of the Crownlands, though the Kingswood it not (although the Lords Paramount of the South give certain rights to the king). The ruler of the Crownlands is the King of the Iron Throne, held by House Ozpin; they are the lands not overseen by a Lord Paramount or ruled by a Prince. Notable houses in the Crownlands include Ozpin of both King's Landing and Dragonstone...

The Crownlands are reasonably fertile, though not so much as the Reach; they have some low mountains in Crackclaw Point that support some mines, though not many or with much valuable metal; it has some forest, but not enough to support significant logging, nor to house many valuable creatures; its rivers and seas support fish, but they are not numerous enough to be a major fishing power even if the Vale and Vacant Lands weren't competing. Some say the only export of the Crownlands is royalty, its only import tribute; this is obviously untrue. The Crownlands have no shortage of skilled labor, particularly including smiths and jewelers. In addition, they smelt more steel ingots than any other kingdom save the North, possess the only good source of tin south of the Neck and some of the best lead mines in the Kingdoms, and possess the Royal Mint, the only mint in Remneros permitted to smelt coins of gold or gold alloys (gold crowns and electrum dragons). Some say that the lands were ravaged as badly as the Vacant Lands, but not rebuilt so thoroughly due to a lesser need.

Crownlanders often have dark or red hair. Bastards in the Crownlands are sometimes named Crown if the noble parent is an Ozpin; otherwise, Rivers and Storm are traditional from before the Conquest, while Waters has seen more use of late. The swords of the Crownlands are sworn to the Warden of the East.

**The Kingdoms**

**The Kingdom of Mount and Vale, or the Vale**

The Kingdom of Mount and Vale is bounded in the north by the Bite, in the south by the Bay of Crabs, in the east by the Narrow Sea, and in the west by the Green Fork of the trident. The Vale also holds dominion over the Three Sisters, Pebble, the Paps, and other islands along its coast. The ruler of the Kingdom of the Vale is the Lord Paramount of the East, or the Lord on the Mountain; this title is held by House Valkyrie, seated in the Eyrie, and will continue to be held by such until the end of time should gods and kings desire it. Notable bannermen in the Kingdom of Mount and Vale include

The Kingdom of Mount and Vale has much more mountain than valley, much of it full of wild men and wilder beasts. There is little arable land in Vale, mostly in the actual valley from which the kingdom gets its name and along the Green Fork. It compensates for this by growing less food crops in its lush valleys and more luxury crops, including several types of fruit which prefer colder climate. Vale beef is said by some to be the best in the Kingdoms. Some of the mountains also contain iron, copper, and other metals, while the Fingers support trade and fishing. However, the Vale is overall one of the poorer kingdoms, in part due to its mountainous terrain not supporting as many people as the lower mountains of the West and North or the fields seen everywhere else, and in part because of how many of those are mountain men who work for sustenance rather than attempting to better themselves or the realm in any meaningful way.

Many outsiders view the Vale as a land of mystery, full of shadowbinders and cannibals, beastmen and monsters, heroes and dragons. They say the Valkyries are mad and cruel, shattering the legs of any subjects who displease them, making their enemies wish that was all they faced. The truth is less romantic. It is true that there are many raiders in the deep mountains, but few raid anyone beyond the Kingsroad if they leave the mountains, few are faulei, and fewer still choose to be cannibals (though I dare say all partake of human flesh when they have nothing else). The only monsters in the mountains are bears, shadowcats, and wolves, not so much as a snow bear, lion, or direwolf to be seen, let alone unicorns, dragons, or mammoths. Doubtless, some hedge knights wanting songs sung about them have found a raiding mountain clan to wipe out, but more have found their deaths at the hands of the villains, or a shadowcat, or a cliff.

The Valkyries trade freely with the North, but largely remain to themselves. Some say they would like to annex parts of the Riverlands or Crackclaw Points, but the Valemen keep their own counsel.

Green eyes are common in the Vale. Noble bastards in the Vale are traditionally named Sky if both parents are highborn, or Stone if not. The swords of Mount and Vale are sworn to the Warden of the East.

**The Kingdom of the North, or Atlas's Kingdom, or The Last Kingdom of the First**

The Kingdom of the North is bounded in the north by the New Gift, in the south by the narrowest point of the Neck, in the east by the Narrow Sea, and in the west by the Sunset Sea. The North also claims Bear Island, Skagos, and lesser islands along its coasts. By area, it is the largest of the kingdoms, about as large as the three Southron kingdoms and the Riverlands combined. The ruler of the Kingdom of the North is the Lord Paramount of the North, or the Lord of Winter; this title is held by House Schnee, seated in Winterfell, and will continue to be held by such until the end of time should gods and kings desire it. Notable bannermen in the Kingdom of the Storm include Houses Umber of the Last Hearth, and Winchester of the Dreadfort.

The North is a barren land, with snow common even in the summer; its soils are not as fertile or hardy as those of the southern lands, making harvests smaller. Despite all this, it is a rich land. While its fields do not grow much wheat, they are more than sufficient for pasture, and many feel that northern wool is the warmest in the Kingdoms. Its woods are full of all sorts of creatures, including wolves, foxes, and martens; the North has nearly a monopoly on the Remnerosi fur trade. While the Ibbenese remain the best whalers in the world, Skagos has a small port for Remnerosi sailors to try their hand at whaling; their products are cheaper and fresher, and Winterfell takes its share of the profits. Perhaps most important of all are the gemstones inside its mountains. Some claim that they are magical, either infused with the essence of the Children or what they drew upon for their magic; while such tales are questionable at best, there is no denying that the gems are beautiful, and valuable.

Many conflate Northmen with faulei, skinchangers, and Children of Dust; these could hardly be farther from the truth. Skinchangers and Children do not exist anywhere, at least not today; while faunus are more frequently found in the North than south of it, their civilized descendants are rarer in the North than almost anywhere else in the Kingdom, as they are frequently driven out by their neighbors. Others suggest that the Schnees have some magical powers over snow and winter due to their alleged heritage; if there were Winter Kings like the legends say, any powers they might have had have faded over the millennia.

The Northmen are, however, First Men. While this may not mean much (many maesters believe many Southmen have near as much First Man as Andal blood in their veins, and the same for Northmen), it certainly continues to influence them. Quatres are rare north of the Neck; the primary faith is that of the Old Gods. Many value honor above justice, and have strong expectations of what a lord must do. While many of the more extreme details (human sacrifice, Right of First Night, laying with beasts) likely have no more truth than tales of Northern snarks, they certainly do have different expectations than Southron cultures; this is more prominent in the rural areas of the North.

While the North is the eldest of the Four Kingdoms, and the largest, some say the Schnees have the weakest hold on their lands. The Wolfwood lords and mountain clans are relatively independent, the crannogmen of the Neck are universally distrusted, and the great Schnee bannermen fight for prestige and power. Some say that it is the entirety of the Kingdoms writ small, sparse, and cold. Northmen hate ironmen, due to their long history of war. The North and the West have long been rivals, due in part to great clashes between their cultures and in part due to their kinship with the ironmen. The Rivermen and Valemen have long been friends and trading partners of the North. However, they are more insular than most of the kingdoms (likely due to the North being largely First Man and the Southron lands being Andal), and rarely concern themselves with matters that do not pass the Trident, or the Neck. They also hate faunus and their descendants.

Northmen are pale in skin and fair of hair, with blue eyes (both ice-blue and sea-blue) being common. Noble bastards in the North are traditionally named Ice. The swords of the North are, perhaps unsurprisingly, sworn to the Warden of the North.

**The Kingdom of the Storm, or the Stormlands, or the Vacant Lands, or Vacuo**

The Kingdom of the Storm is bounded in the north by the Mander and the Blackwater, in the south by the Marches and the Wyt, in the east by the Narrow Sea, and in the west by the Mander to Cider Hall, and beyond by a line between Cider Hall and Nightsong. Tarth, the Broken Arm, and lesser isles along the kingdom's coast are also under the control of this kingdom. The ruler of the Kingdom of the Storm is the Lord Paramount of the South, or the Lord of Storms; this title is held by House Torchwick, seated in Storm's End, and will continue to be held by such until the end of time should gods and kings desire it. Notable bannermen in the Kingdom of the Storm include...

The Stormlands included mighty forests, fertile Reach plains, and grand mountains, as well as prosperous villages and mighty cities. None of these were untouched when Touvlo the Conqueror set foot on Remneros; the Stormlanders fought valiantly, honorably, and nobly...but they died by the thousands and by the tens of thousands. Many of the surviving minor lords and knights who bent the knee were raised to lordship; many of the smallfolk who survived their homes' destruction became lesser lords over the ravaged lands; but they were still damaged and empty. It took nearly two centuries before the Stormlands regained their former glory; by then, the name Vacant Lands had stuck for good. The modern Stormlands have some mining, especially iron mines around Grandview. The Rainwood and southern parts of the so-called Kingswood also provide excellent timber, while Vacuo's Mander lands provide enough food to feed them plus some to export. Towns and villages along Massey's Hook and the larger Stormlander islands also provide excellent fishing and some trade from across the Narrow Sea.

A note is deserved on the Kingswood. During the reign of Dromos I, a gift was made to the Iron Throne: Unlimited access to the Stormland woods near King's Landing, including the right to every bird, beast, and fish therein, plus limited logging rights, in exchange for aid rebuilding and resettling the Vacant Lands. That wood is now called the Kingswood, and while the exact rights the king has in the wood have been altered and debated over time, in practice kings do whatever they please as long as they leave the wood standing.

Stormlanders were a contentious people, proud, with an even stronger warrior culture than most Andals. After the Conquest, the proudest warriors all died, and men from other lands settled; while not as much of a melting-pot as Mystral, the Stormlands are more diverse than most of Remneros. Their culture is still largely Stormlander on the surface, though much of their fighting spirit has been subdued. Stormland warriors are still considered to be some of the best in the Kingdoms, but they are less independent than they were. Some suggest that their pride has not been smashed, but merely silenced, and that it will rise when the Iron Throne gives them a chance and an excuse; I doubt this, but time will tell.

Many think of the Stormlands as a ravaged land still, with black fields, ruined towns, and restless spirits. The truth is that, while you can find traces of the Conquest if you know where and how to look, the nearly three centuries that have passed are more than enough time to rebuild. An ignorant traveler could walk the Kingsroad from the Trident to Highgarden without realizing he went through these "Vacant Lands".

The Torchwicks have long been leal friends and subjects of the Crown; the same cannot be said of other Stormland lords, who remember too well the events which lead to their lands being named Vacuo. The Storm Kings had many wars with the Kings of the Rock, but centuries of peace have dampened hatred into rivalry. This is not the case for the Dornish, whose passes and sands claimed the lives of too many soldiers and lord's sons over the years to be forgotten. Stormland lords think of the new Reach as being full of upstart squalling children begging for scraps of true lords' wealth. The Stormlanders see little business of theirs north of the Trident.

Stormlanders are usually dark of hair, with auburn hair being common as well; many have dusky skin as well. Noble bastards in the Stormlands are traditionally named Storm. The swords of the Stormlands are sworn to the Warden of the South.

**The Kingdom of the Rock, or Mystral, or the Westerlands, or the Gold Mountains**

The Kingdom of the Rock is bounded in the north by the Bonefort, the River Road between Golden Tooth and Riverrun, and the Red Fork of the Trident, in the south by the Mander, in the east by Godstear, and in the west by the Sunset Sea. The Shield Islands and the Arbor are also under the control of this kingdom, as are the Whispering Sound and cities along its coast. There is some dispute between the Xiaolongs and the Crownlands stewards over the precise boundaries between God's Eye and the Trident; The ruler of the Kingdom of the Rock is the Lord Paramount of the West, or the Lord of the Rock; this title is held by House Xiaolong, seated in Casterly Rock, and will continue to be held by such until the end of time should gods and kings desire it. Notable bannermen in the Kingdom of the Rock include Houses Bone of the Bonefort, Brand of Ashemark, Hightower of Hightower, Rain of Castamere, Redwyne of the Arbor, and Xiaolann of Lannstree.

The old Kingdom of the Rock was primarily the western mountains; they later took fertile land of the Reach, and after the Conquest they were given the Dornish Reach.

The kingdom forged by the ironmen had them at the top, ruling over men of the western mountains and slivers of the Reach's plains and the riverlands. Their gods were both the Drowned God of the Isles and the Seven of the Andals. They only grew more powerful and diverse, in particular accepting the worship of Mont'm, the volcano deity of Essant called the Lord of Light by his subjects. The Xiaolongs are known to have a red priest and a drowned man alongside maester; some have also selected representatives of the Old Gods, which are more frequently worshiped here than elsewhere in the South. If the tales are true, faunus, monsters from Asshai, and even Children of Dust and wights walk the streets of Lannstree. While I can say nothing of the more fantastic claims, I have seen many faulai in the Kingdom of the Rock, though more often in their own villages than in large cities. More common than men whom one can identify as Ironmen, Andals, Essoanti, or some other group are mongrels of all these and more peoples. Those of Mystral are sometimes called goldmen, named after the purest of metals; ironic, since they were forged as an alloy of all lands.

In no small part due to its reputed exotic denizens, the Kingdom of the Rock is often thought of as the most magical of the Kingdoms, a land of fantasy where wizards fight skinchangers, maesters learn the secrets of Aura and the arts of red priests, and hermits know how to forge Valyrian steel. Needless to say, near all of these tales are falsehoods. It is true that red priests have certain ricks, and that they are more common here; that alchemy has more of a hold than elsewhere in Remneros; and that mummers from Mystral play up their homeland's reputation; but on the whole, magic is as dead in "Mystral" as elsewhere in the world. Nevertheless, the name Mystral comes from the magic which reputedly is found on every street-corner.

Some say it is the most powerful of the kingdoms, with fertile land, mountains full of gold, and more land than the other Southron kingdoms. While this is true, it also has more indefensible borderland than any other kingdom. The Stormlands have the Marches to the south and the Blackwater to the north; the North has the Neck; and every child knows how impossible it is to mount a large assault on the Vale of Augia. Dorne and the Isles have sand and sea, while even the Riverlands have substantial mountain holdings and enough rivers and swamps in the lowlands to give the defenders a great advantage. In addition, while there is still gold in the Western mountains, many of the richest veins, mined since the Age of Heroes, have been exhausted; in particular, Golden Tooth scarcely has any gold left. There is still some mineral wealth in the West, however (including the seemingly inexhaustible wealth in the depths of Casterly Rock), and of course the southern lands of Mystral are the breadbasket of Remneros. Much of Mystral's wealth comes from trade, however.

The Westman lords have disputes with the Crownlands about their borders north of God's Eye. Darry has been declared a Crownland stronghold; the same is not true of the smaller villages in the fertile land, its patch of green woods, or of great Harrenhal. There was great enmity between the Kingdom of the Rock and that of the Storm, but centuries of peace and trade have dampened this into a friendly rivalry. The Princes of the Rivers once squabbled with the Lords Paramount of the West over lands from Ironman's Bay to Godstear, but a resolution was reached by Lady Richu Xiaolong and Prince Agax Nikos, sealed by the marriage of Richu's heir to Agax's fairest daughter, and the two lands have been at peace since. Ever since the Conquest, tension has grown between the North and West, some from cultural differences, some from personality conflicts between the Xiaolongs and the Schnees.

Noble bastards in Mystral are traditionally named Rose. The swords of the Westerlands are sworn to the Warden of the West.

**The Principalities**

**The Principality of the Rhoynar Lands, or Dorne**

The Principality of the Rhoynar Lands is bounded in the north by the Dornish Marches and the Wyt River, in the south by the Summer Sea, in the east by the Narrow Sea, and in the west by the hills of the Gardenlands. It is the largest principality, roughly as large as the other three put together. The ruler of the Rhoynar is the Prince of Sand, or the Prince of Dorne; this title is held by House Arc and will continue to be held by such until the end of time should gods and kings desire it.

Dorne is a land of sand, stone, and sea. The Salt Dornish and Greenbloods are fishers and traders; the Stone Dornish are smiths and mine the metals in their mountains; and the Sand Dornish are noted for their goats, horses, and glass. Dornish wine, made from grapes grown in vineyards along the Greenblood, is comparable in quality to the best wines of the Arbor (though which is superior is a matter of taste!)

Many consider the Rhoynar to be cruel, depraved, or inhuman; these are little more than lies and slander. The Dornish are more Andal than Rhoynar in truth, and even if this were not the case, I find it doubtful that even half of what people say of the Rhoynar was true for as much as a third of them.

The Dornish prefer to keep to themselves, as they did in the centuries before they were under the Iron Throne. They do have frequent territory conflicts with the Stormlanders, particularly around the mouth of the Prince's Pass; they also envy the lowlands of the Gardenlands.

Aside from the Stone Dornish, which are much more Andal than their kin, Dornishmen tend to be darker of skin and hair than most. Noble bastards in Dorne are traditionally named Sand. Legitimized bastards are more common in Dorne than in the rest of Remneros. The swords of Dorne are sworn to the Warden of the South.

**The Principality of the Trident, or the Riverlands**

The Principality of the Trident is bounded in the north by the Neck, in the south by the River Road to Riverrun and the Red Fork beyond, in the east by the Green Fork, and in the west by Ironman's Bay. The ruler of the Riverlands is the Prince of Rivers, or the Prince of the Trident; this title is held by House Nikos and will continue to be held by such until the end of time should gods and kings desire it.

The Riverlands once stretched down around the Western Mountains, along the Trident and beyond it to the upper parts of the Blackwater, God's Eye, the Mounts of Aigle, and the Neck. River lords never had one king, however; at the time of the Conquest, much of the Riverlands were held by ironmen. Some of the lands were awarded to the humble Xiaolongs, another sliver to the Valkyries, and only parts of the Trident remained for the Rivermen. Eventually, an agreement between Richu Xiaolong and Agax Nikos lead to the present boundaries of the Trident's lands, which do not include the source of the Red Fork, lands south thereof, or anything beyond the Green Fork, but do include the Tumblestone, the Whispering Wood, and mountains rich in granite, with some veins of silver and quarries of marble. The Trident also includes the most fertile land outside the Reach, where much grain is grown.

The Riverlands are friendly with the North and West, with Seagard being a frequent site of treaty between the great kingdoms. The Riverlords despise the ironmen.

Noble bastards in the Riverlands are traditionally named Rivers. The swords of the Trident are sworn to the Warden of the North.

**The Principality of the Gardenlands, or the Reach, or Highgarden, or the Greenlands**

The Principality of the Gardenlands is bounded in the north by the Mander, in the south by the Whispering Sound and the Sunset Sea, in the east by the mountains of Dorne, and in the west by the Sunset Sea. (It should be noted that this principality contains very little of the Reach proper; those who call it the Reach are perpetuating a common but regardless incorrect fallacy.) The ruler of the Gardenlands is the Prince of Fields, or the Prince of the Gardenlands; this title is held by House Belladonna and will continue to be held by such until the end of time should gods and kings desire it. The Gardenlands were largely ruled by the Prince of Sand until the War of the Nine Petty Kings, although Highgarden was sworn to Storm's End and much of the coast was Mystralian.

The Gardenlands are mainly hills, with some flatlands; these lands, while not quite as fertile as the Reach proper, are nevertheless full of orchards, gardens, and vineyards.

The Gardenlands have a large population of men and women who claim noble birth from some old Reach house or another, using their name despite working as farmhands, smiths, or other lowly professions. Many smallfolk have taken to giving themselves surnames as well, despite admitting being of common stock; typical names are either notable characteristics of the family's founder, his profession, or something related to the location of their house.

Gardenlanders dislike the Westlanders, due to them holding much of the Reach proper, as well as Oldtown. They are known to be allies of the Dornish.

Noble bastards in the Reach were once named Flowers; the Gardenlands hold to this tradition in an attempt to cling to their lost glory (though bastards who illegitimately claim a noble parent's name are more common here than elsewhere). Common bastards are sometimes named Weed. The swords of the Gardenlands are sworn to the Warden of the West.

**The Principality of the Western Islands, or the Iron Isles**

The Principality of the Western Islands is bounded on all sides by the Sunset Sea, and is composed of the Iron Isles, the Fair Isle, lesser islands, and the Cape of Eagles. The ruler of the Western Isles is the Prince of Salt, or the Prince of the Western Isles; this title is held by house Lie and will continue to be held by such until the end of time should gods and kings desire it.

The Iron Isles are rich in that nominal metal, as well as the trees required to make their longships; some of the larger islands have land suitable for farming, but most have nothing more than shepherds and fishermen to produce food locally. Once, they supported themselves through raiding; under Lie Karasu, their ships trade as far as Qarth and Asshai, and they export iron ingots to the mainland. They remain a poor land, however.

Ironmen culture is a mixture of that of their homelands and Andal culture. They have adapted the concept of knighthood in particular, with their warrior-captains. Their Houses are much less stable than mainland ones, due to their culture's value of strength over tradition. The concept of the "iron price" is an important one for outsiders to understand; while everyday goods can be bought with gold, ornaments and luxuries must be obtained through force. They worship two gods otherwise alien to the men of Remneros: The Drowned God of sea and storm, as benevolent as one would expect of this violent culture, and the Burnt God of sun and flame, which must be appeased regardless. Tales of human sacrifice were true in the old days; like the "iron price," the Lies and Ozpins have tried to extinguish it, but I have heard reliable reports that some human sacrifice yet occurs on distant isles.

The Western Islands treat all other lands with contempt, which is returned with hatred.

The people of the Western Islands have very dark hair and almond-shaped eyes. Their bastards are traditionally named Yan, typically translated to the Common Tongue as "Salt". The swords of the Western Isles are sworn to the Warden of the West.

**Beyond the Iron Throne: The Gift, The Wall, and the Faunus Tribes**

Some across the Narrow Sea believe the Iron Throne controls all lands of Remneros, but anyone in the Kingdoms could tell you otherwise.

**The Huntsmen**

Established after the Long Winter, the Huntsmen are sworn to defend the realms of Men—First Men, Andals, Rhoynar, and any others in danger. Once, they patrolled the Wall to watch for any dangers, from faunus raiders to Others. They are now a shadow of their former self, but still more than sufficient to stop the dangers north of the Wall.

The Huntsmen are sworn not to interfere in conflicts south of the Wall; when they fail to do so, legend tells, disaster has always visited them.

The Huntsmen were divided into four orders. The Stewards, in yellow, manage day-to-day life of the Huntsmen; they are squires, cooks, maesters, traders. The Builders, in blue, maintain the Huntsmen's castles and the Wall itself; once, they built the Wall higher every generation, but now they are content to maintain it at its current height. The Rangers, in green, act as scouts, searching the lands beyond the wall for hints of threats. The Slayers, in red, once trained to defeat the worst of the creatures beyond the wall—Others, giants, skinchangers, ice dragons, snarks—but they have been disbanded since long before the Conquest, likely some time around the Rhoynar invasion. Still, every member of the three remaining Orders is expected to take part in the defense of the Wall when faunus do appear. Initiates who are not yet members of the Watch wear black; a few who have served in multiple Orders and now act as the leadership of the Huntsmen wear white.

The Huntsmen were given all land within twenty-five leagues of the Wall, once filled with Huntsmen and smallfolk farming food for the Watch. This land is known as Bertrand's Gift, and was later doubled by Queen Rigma the Kind, where a number of castles and small towns already existed. These lands have dwindled in both population and care by the Watch; in many places, they seem as wild as the lands beyond the Wall.

**Beyond the Wall**

The lands beyond the Wall are barren, frozen even in the heights of the warmest summers. They are not uninhabited, however. Faunus (roughly meaning "people who do not yield"), sometimes called "beastmen," live in the Haunted Forest, along the Frozen Shore, and elsewhere in those lands so far north.

The faunus have a number of physical differences from folk in the Kingdoms. Many are more scrawny than southern men, longer of limb. They often have inhuman colors of eyes, yellow or red. Their hair is usually dark red, brown, or black. The most distinctive trait of faunus is the source of their smallfolk name: their animal-like characteristics. Many have what are sometimes called Fourth Ears, a pair of animal ears on top of their heads in addition to their human ears; others have horns, claws, or tails, or more hair than normal men. Many have more than one of these traits. Some tales tell of faunus with the heads of wolves and other absurdities; needless to say, no reports have confirmed this.

Some members of these tribes flee south, particularly in winter; while these are sometimes mistaken for raiders and killed, at times they have been allowed to settle if they agree to follow the same laws as the civilized men. This was most common in the reign of Queen Rigma the Kind; in the Beast's Winter, she flew north to personally open the gates of Queensgate (then Deep Lake) to any faunus who wished refuge in warmer lands.

It bears noting that, contrary to common usage, it is incorrect to refer to men of faunus blood south of the Wall as "faunus"; their term for any who kneel before the Iron Throne is "faulai," or "people who prostrate themselves". Many, myself included, propose that this term be used to describe "faunus" who serve and are protected by the Iron Throne.

In any case, the treatment the faulai received has varied. None who live in the North can claim to be loved by their lords or neighbors; there have been too many millennia of raids and bad blood for them to cheerfully accept neighbors with tails or four ears, no matter what the Iron Throne proclaims.


	3. Preface C: Houses, Great and Small

_Editor's Note: The following are compiled excerpts from Grand Maester Bartholomew's Houses of Remneros, an incomplete manuscript at time of writing._

_This editor is not an expert in heraldry; if any readers are more familiar with it and would like to correct the terminology herein, correspondence would be appreciated._

**Houses of the Crownlands**

**House Ozpin of the Iron Throne**

The Ozpins were the last of the Valyrian dragonlords, sequestering themselves on Dragonstone before the Fall of Valyria.

The Ozpins typically have silver-gray hair and fair skin. Their eyes are a unique shade of brownish-green, which has been compared to jade; individuals with little Ozpin blood frequently have the Ozpin hair but rarely the eyes.

The Ozpin coat of arms is a three-headed red dragon on a green field, and the dragon serves as their sigil. Their colors are green and silver; their words are _Fire and Blood_.

**House Ozpin of Dragonstone**

Dragonstone has long been the nominal and ceremonial seat of House Ozpin, though rarely held by the man on the Iron Throne. It was handed from one king's favorite sibling or uncle to the next; however, after the War of the Nine Petty Kings, Dragonstone was agreed to be given to Myelou Ozpin and her descendants as a heritable title rather than a viceroyal one.

The Ozpin-of-Dragonstone coat of arms has a gray dragon rather than the red of the Ozpins of King's Landing; the same dragon remains their sigil. Their colors are gray and green; their words remain _Fire and Blood_.

**House Adale of Duskendale**

House Adale was among the many petty kings eventually conquered by the Storm Kings. Their history is full of times where they submitted to this, that, or some other king in exchange for mercy or some gift.

The seat of House Adale is Dun Fort, in Duskendale; it is a trading center overshadowed by King's Landing, but the fish markets are said to be larger than any other in Remneros.

The Adales tend to have auburn hair and pale skin.

The Adale coat of arms is a bow and a hammer sable crossed over a tan cross saltire on a dark brown field; their sigil is the crossed bow-and-hammer. Their colors are brown and black; their words are

**House Oobleck of Darry**

**House Rook of the Rest**

The seat of House Rook is Rook Rest, along the northern coast of Blackwater Bay.

The Rook coat of arms is a black rook on a white fess over a checkered black-and-gray field; their sigil is a rook in flight. Their colors are black and white; their words are

**House Sustrai of Driftmark**

House Sustrai is descended from Valyrian stewards of the Ozpins before the Conquest. After that, they were given lordly titles and the island of Driftmark; they have since grown rich by marrying many prominent traders from many lands.

**(Dyre Den, Maidenpool)**

**Houses of Dorne**

**House Arc of Sunspear**

**House Grey of Ghaston Grey**

**House Grey of Grey Gallows**

**House Yronwood of Yronwood**

**(Blackmont, Godsgrace, Ghost Hill, Starfall)**

**Houses of the Isles**

**House Lie of Pyke**

The newest of the Great Houses, the first Lie was Lie Karasu, mistress and slayer of the last king of the Iron Isles. She remains the Princess of Salt; the title will pass to her son, Lie Kaze. Some translate the house name as Ardent or Hunter; the latter is incorrect on multiple levels.

Lie Karasu and her children have the dark eyes and almond-shaped eyes typical of ironmen. Their skin is typical of the so-called salt ironmen.

The House has a Valyrian dagger, a plain (though curved) blade with a dragonbone hilt; this was used to kill Xiong Chao. It is named Arashi o Tsukutta Hana, typically translated as "The Storm's Flower". No one is sure where Karasu obtained such a rare weapon; I have asked Kaze, and he states that his mother has told him a dozen times, no two alike.

The Lie coat of arms is a pink flower within a gray cloud on a blue and green field quartered en equerre; their sigil is a flower. Their colors are pink and green, and theur words are _Climbing Ever Higher_.

**House Blacktyde of Blacktyde**

The Blacktyde (or Heichao) family is the most powerful house on the island of the same name.

The Blacktyde coat of arms is a vair field, green and black (their house colors). Their sigil is a wave, and thier words are _Crush and Drown_.

**House Goodsister of Wyk**

The Goodsisters (or Jiemeis) claim descent from the legendary Grey King's elder sister, unlike most other houses, which claim descent from the Grey King himself. It has remained a powerful house, though almost always loyal to the nominal ruler of the Isles and with little ambition.

Branches of House Goodsister are found all over Great Wyk and the Isles, and even hold Shatterstone, the greatest holdfast on Old Wyk (considered the holiest Iron Isle). Their primary seat, however, is Hammerhorn, in the Hardstone Hills; they get some wealth from trade, but mostly prosper through trade.

Members of House Goodsister are more apt to have long, thick hair than most ironmen; they often braid it. They have the dark skin of the so-called mud ironmen.

The Goodsister coat of arms is a dark warhorn banded in gold, on a bloodred field; their sigil is a warhorn. Their colors are red and gold, and their words are _The Strength of the Isles_.

**House Harlaw of Harlaw**

Harlaw is the second-largest and by far most populous of the Iron Islands; while the house of the same name is not found elsewhere, it is among the most powerful in the Isles, and since the Isles as a whole are held by widely-disliked House Lie, some say it is currently the most powerful.

Harlaw contains some mines, mostly iron but one with rubies, but most of its wealth comes from craftsmensmiths and smelters

**House Hui-Huanle o****f Iron Holt**

Lie Karasu once said that all great houses come from nothing and end as nothing; House Hui-Huanle was one of the greatest houses, once seen as the successor to the Hui-Zhutie family as a line of great and mighty kings. The Hui-Huanles survived; after King Shuang Haren's death in the Conquest, nearly every king of the Iron Isles has been a Hui-Huanle.

After the rise of the Xiongs, House Hui-Huanle were left with Iron Holt. They have become a more prominent house of late, due to Iron Holt's status as the main port of the Iron Isles (rivalled only by Pebbleton of Great Wyk)

The Hui-Huanle coat of arms is a golden kraken on a sable field; their sigil is a kraken. Their colors are black and gold, and their words are _We Do Not Sow_.

**House Orcwood of Orcmont**

The Orcwoods (Muorc) of Orcmont were the first of modern Houses to live on Orcmont, and are more powerful than their main rival, House Tawny (or Chese); a branch of Goodsister is another major competitor.

The Orcwoods of Orcmont have long controlled much of the Iron Island's supply of timber, and run a large fraction of its shipbuilding.

The Orcwood coat of arms is green pines semy on a yellow field; their sigil is a pine. Their colors are green and gold, and their words are _A Tide of Ships and Steel_.

**House Saltcliffe of Saltcliffe**

The Saltcliffes (or Yuanya) are the greater of the houses on Saltcliffe (the other being Underly or Chiten);

**House Xiong of Newden**

Lie Karasu once said that all great houses come from nothing and end as nothing; House Xiong (sometimes called Hui-Xiong) is a well-documented example, with Lady Lie playing a pivotal role in their decline. The first Xiongs were mere captains, who happened to play a pivotal role in one of many Iron Age ironman conquests of Bear Island and hence were given control of it. As time went on, they gained influence and power, even sending branches of their family to Pyke and elsewhere in the ironman lands, which served them well once Bear Island was retaken by the North. Eventually, House Hui-Huanle fell; House Xiong

**Houses of Mystral**

**House Xiaolong of Casterly Rock**

House Xiaolong traces its ancestry to the Iron Islands and the lands beyond the Sunset Sea, but you wouldn't know this by looking at them. The Xiaolongs

The Xiaolongs own fragments of a suit of orange and red Valyrian steel plate, including the gauntlets and faulds. According to legend, Shandian Xiong took the Valyrian blades from all the lords he slew and had them melted down to create a suit of armor called Ember, which is presumably the source of the Valyrian armor.

The Xiaolann coat of arms was a black ship on an undy field, orange above and blue below; their words were _I Burn_, referencing the fate of any who dared become their enemy. Under the rule of Touvlo Ospin _[sic]_, the Second of his Name, such implied violence was discouraged; their sigil and arms are derived from the personal sigil of then-Lady-Paramount Ju Xiaolong the Pyromancer (a flaming heart), the arms being gold on a brown field, and took the words _All Good Things Must End_. Their colors remain black and orange.

**House Branwen of Stone Hedge**

**House Clement of Clement Hall**

An older house.

**House Coastyne of the First Tower**

The Coastynes were lords of Three Towers since before the ironmen came; they surrendered in exchange for keeping their position. During the War of the Nine Petty Kings, Three Towers was ravaged (in particular the nominal towers) due to Coastyne's support of the Iron Throne; all of the trueborn Coastynes were killed. Shizi Xiaolong offered a Coastyne bastard, Witney Flowers, to pay to rebuild Three Towers, to help bolster trade in the port, if she agreed to share the nearby lands with two other houses, the Easters and the Goldroses. Witney agreed and was legitimized as Witney Coastyne; she came to regret not haggling, as tensions between the three families rose.

The Coastyne coat of arms is two silver chalices on a black field; one of said chalices forms their sigil. Their colors are silver and blue, and their words are

**House Daichi of Faircastle**

An ironman house, House Daichi became bannermen to the Xiaolongs after the Conquest.

Their words are _Iron Will and Golden Honor_.

**House Easter of the Third Tower**

House Easter was formed by Tyroshi merchants (some say pirates) who were a great boon to the Xiaolongs in a war with the Reach, long ago; three of them were given noble titles, but only the Easters remain today. The Easter lands were in the Gardenlands; rather than be ruled by the Belladonnas, Lord Xifeng-di Easter petitioned Casterly Rock for land in Mystral. Shizi Xiaolong agreed to grant him land near Three Towers; he came to regret not asking for perhaps some small island off the Arbor, as tensions rose between Easter, Coastyne, and Goldrose.

The Easter coat of arms is a red tower flamboyant on a gold field; their sigil is a stylized flaming tower. Their colors are red and gold, and their words are _Lighting the Fires_.

**House Goldrose of the Second Tower**

Rubem Goldrose was a Xiaolong bastard who became a knight and was raised to lord after a war with the Storm Kings. He was given lands in what is now the Principality of the Gardenlands; rather than be ruled by the Belladonnas, Lady Karran Goldrose chose to petition Casterly Rock for Westland. Shizi Xiaolong agreed to grant her land near Three Towers; she quite enjoyed the chance to compete against others, but sometimes lamented that the Coastyne's city had not been called Two Towers.

The Goldrose coat of arms is a gold rose on a quartered black and blue field; the rose is their sigil. Their colors are gold and blue, and their words are

**House Grimm of Greyshield**

_Editor's Note: No, seriously, look it up._

Greatest house in the Shield Islands etc.

**House Rain of Castamere**

House Rain is an old, proud house, once a rival to the Casterlies. They submitted to the Xiong kings and

The Rain coat of arms is a blue lion rampant on a silver field; their sigil is said lion. Their colors are blue and silver; their words are _Our Claws are Long and Sharp_.

**House Xiaolann of Lannstree**

The Xiaolanns of Lannstree were initially a junior branch of the Xiaolanns of Casterly Rock, descended from Shandian's eldest daughter and second child, Mu Xiong. She was given the task of ruling Lannstree, a small town near Casterly Rock where Lann the Scoundrel was supposedly hanged. The task was passed to her firstborn, and his, and his, and so on, until they were declared the Lords Mayor of the Noble City of Lannstree, which some call the Tenth Free City...when far from Casterly Rock and the Iron Throne.

The Xiaolanns own a dark orange Valyrian steel short sword, with a thick, single-edged blade designed for piercing armor. Some say it was forged from the helm of Ember, the Xiaolann Valyrian plate.

The Xiaolanns of Lannstree use a modified version of the old Xiaolann arms, with a gold ship on a blue undy field, light over dark; their sigil is a ship. Their colors are dark blue and gold. They retain the old words of House Xiaolann, _I Burn_.

**(Crakehall, Goldengrove)**

**Houses of the North**

**House Schnee of Winterfell**

The Schnees claim to be the oldest of the Great Houses of Remneros, tracing their ancestry back to the Winter Kings, said to be more snow than flesh. They are known to have ruled the north for thousands of years, likely dating all the way back to the Long Night.

The Schnees owned a pale blue Valyrian steel rapier named Blizzard; unfortunately, it was lost when Gewitter Schnee sailed to the Smoking Sea and vanished.

The legends say that the Winter Kings had flesh like pure snow, hair like pure clouds, and eyes like pure ice. If true, the Schnees clearly have their blood in them; their skin is among the palest skin in the known world, their hair is pale blonde if not white, and their eyes are a shade of blue clearly distinct from most (termed "ice-blue" by the Schnees and other Northmen). Some maesters have noted that, while most men with blue eyes have darker-eyed children with dark-eyed partners, the ice-blue eyes of the Schnees are almost always inherited.

The Schnee coat of arms is a white snowflake on a gray field; their sigil is the same snowflake. Their colors are white and gray, and their words are _We Rule the Winter_.

**House Schnee of Karhold**

Karal Schnee was a non-inheriting Schnee some centuries before the Conquest, who performed some deed deserving of great honor. Some say he slew a dragon, Other, or false knight; others say he merely put down a rebellious eastern bannerman. Whatever the case, he was granted land in the east, and raised a holdfast on it; this holdfast was called Karal's Hold, which eventually became corrupted to Karhold.

The Karhold Schnees have proved themselves loyal to their cousins in Winterfell, time and time again.

The Karhold Schnees have the same eyes as their Winterfell kin, though they tend to have sandy hair rather than white, and their skin is not so pale.

Some Schnees of Karhold use the Schnee arms and words; others use a gray wolf on a white field and _We Are the Hunters_. Their sigil is a wolf.

**House Atlas of Atlas's Square**

Said to have been an ancient branch of House Schnee, a combination of wedding one of Atlas Schnee's younger children into the house combined with his glorious victories (which included saving the castle from a force of ironmen) lead to both house and castle being renamed in honor of that great King in the North.

**House Flint of Flint's Finger**

**House Isenberg of Iron Mountain**

**House Port of Bear Island**

**House Thrush of Deepwater Motte**

**House Umber of Last Hearth**

**House Winchester of the Dreadfort**

The Winchesters are a relatively new noble house. The first Winchester was a stablehand who saved the life of the young heir of the Winterfell about half a century after the Conquest. As a reward (and due to possessing size and strength useful in a warrior), he was given a knighthood, a tower on the Weeping Water and a nearby village, and a chest of silver flakes minted in Flint's Finger. Due to the valor of his grandchildren and great-grandchildren, the House was ennobled three generations later, and their lands increased.

The Winchesters became known as fearsome warriors, and ambitious; minor lords sworn to them have mostly been driven out and replaced with branches of the Winchester tree. Their small tower on the river grew larger and wider, with a mighty fortress rising around it; the village grew into a castle town. The Winchesters are now among the most trusted of the Schnee bannerman, if not the most influential or powerful. Aside from their success, the Winchesters elicit fear from many; rumors circulate of all sorts of barbaric practices practiced by their warriors, from the typical plunder-and-rape on a larger scale to bone-breaking and other forms of crude torture.

The Winchester coat of arms is a horse rearing with a chest under its forelegs, on a chausse silver in the middle and blue on the edges; their sigil is a chest. Their colors are red and silver, and their words are _Bravery, Faith, and Valor_.

**(Greywater Watch, Ramsgate, White Harbor)**

**Houses of the Reach**

**House Belladonna of Highgarden**

**House Blackbar of Bandallon**

**House Clay of Sunhouse**

**House Osgrey of Standfast**

**(Brightwater Keep, Honeyholt, Horn Hill, Uplands)**

**Houses of the Riverlands**

**House Nikos of Riverrun**

**House Scarletina of Fairmarket**

**(Mudgrave, Raventree Hall, Seagard, the Twins, Wendish Town, Whitewalls)**

**Houses of the Vale**

**House Valkyrie of the Eyrie**

**House Alistair of Wickerden**

**House Sky of Sisterton**

**House Slange of Snakewoods**

**(Bloody Gate, Coldwater Burn, Gulltown, Heart's Home, Ironoaks, Redfort, Saltpans)**

**Houses of Vacuo**

**House Torchwick of Storm's End**

**House Black of Blackhaven**

**House Bronzewing of Bronzegate**

**House Caeron of Nightsong**

**House Caffen of Fawnton**

**House Fall of Falwood**

**House Malachite of Greenstone**

**House Swann of Stonedance**

**House Swann of Stonehelm**

**(Ashford, Griffin's Roost, Tarth)**

The first Torchwick was Fortia Torchwick, made Lady-Regnant of the Stormlands after the Conquest.

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_Editor's Note: It is uncertain if the following list from Bartholomew's notes was intended to be published in this or some other volume, or indeed if it was intended to be published and was not an outline for some other work._

**The Monarchs of the Iron Throne**

_The first Monarch of the Iron Throne was **King-Regnant Touvlo Ozpin the First of his Name**, called the Conqueror._ He ruled from the Conquest until the thirty-first year afterward.

_The second Monarch of the Iron Throne was **King-Regnant Dromos Ozpin the First of his Name**._ He ruled from the thirty-first year after the Conquest until the thirty-seventh.

_The third Monarch of the Iron Throne was **Queen-Regnant Astrapi Ozpin the First of her Name**, called the Brief._ She ruled during the thirty-seventh year after the Conquest.

_The fourth Monarch of the Iron Throne was **King-Regnant Osto Ozpin the First of his Name**, called the Sun's Knave._ He ruled from the thirty-seventh year after the Conquest until the forty-second. His wife was Queen-Consort and Ser Xifos Ozpin of King's Landing, called the Knight-Queen. During his reign

_The fifth Monarch of the Iron Throne was **King-Regnant Sarka Ozpin the First of his Name**, called the Cruel._ He ruled from the forty-second year after the Conquest until the forty-seventh. His wife was Queen-Consort Rigma Torchwick the Kind. Conquered the Iron Isles. Towards the end of his reign, a deep and dark winter called the Beast's Winter began.

_The sixth Monarch of the Iron Throne was **King-Regnant Geni Ozpin the First of his Name**, called the Wise, the Old, King Fourwinters, or the Half-Century King._ He ruled from the forty-seventh year after the Conquest until the ninety-ninth.

_The seventh Monarch of the Iron Throne was **Queen-Regnant Sidiroucha Ozpin the First of her Name**, called the Centennial Queen._ She ruled from the ninety-ninth year after the Conquest until the one hundred and fifth. During her reign, Baleraen the Black Dread died of old age.

_The eighth Monarch of the Iron Throne was **Queen-Regnant Lemfos Ozpin the First of her Name**, called the Blessed._ She ruled from the one hundred and fifth year after the Conquest until the one hundred and thirtieth.

_The ninth Monarch of the Iron Throne was **Touvlo Ozpin the Second of his Name**, called the Usurper._ He ruled from the one hundred and thirieth year after the Conquest until the one hundred and thirty-second. The ascent of Touvlo II was contested by his sister (and Lemfos's designated heir) Louloudi Ozpin, who he claimed was a bastard by Sidiroucha's brother Mydi Ozpin. This lead to a war known as the Dance of the Dragons, which claimed both of their lives.

_The tenth Monarch of the Iron Throne was **Kenos Ozpin the First of his Name**, called the Foxling._ He ruled from the one hundred and thirty-second year after the Conquest until the one hundred and fifty-fourth. Foghar, last of the Conquerer's three dragons; died during Kenos Ozpin's reign; towards the end of his reign, deformities and illness were noted in dragon hatchlings on Dragonstone.

_The eleventh Monarch of the Iron Throne was **Geni Ozpin the Second of his Name**, called the Clever._ He ruled from the one hundred and fifty-fourth year after the Conquest to the one hundred and fifty-ninth. His wife was Queen-Consort Nikol Arc, the Princess of Dorne. During his reign, the sons of the Prince Olivio Arc of Dorne died, some under suspicious circumstances, such that when the Prince Olivio himself died, Dorne was inherited by his wife. During his reign, the old dragons began to sicken and die.

_The twelfth Monarch of the Iron Throne was **Touvlo Ozpin the Third of his Name**, called the Miser or the Stoic._ He ruled from the one hundred and fifty-ninth year after the Conquest to the one hundred and eighty-third. His wife was Bianka Schnee of Winterfell. Touvlo III's policies towards Dorne, his mother's realm, lead to that realm seceding; however, most remember him for including lead and other base metals in the Royal Mint's coins, creating the infamous pewter dragons among other such devalued coins.

_The thirteenth Monarch of the Iron Throne was **Queen-Regnant Sidiroucha Ozpin the Second of her Name**, called the Dragonslayer._ She ruled from the one hundred and eighty-third year after the Conquest to the one hundred and ninety-first. Her husband was King-Consort Atychos Ozpin of Dragonstone. During her rule, the last dragons died.

_The fourteenth Monarch of the Iron Throne was **King-Regnant Touvlo Ozpin the Fourth of his Name**, called._ He ruled from the one hundred and ninety-first year after the Conquest until the two hundred and third.

_The fifteenth Monarch of the Iron Throne was **King-Regnant Sarka Ozpin the Second of his Name**._ He ruled from the two hundred and third year after the Conquest until the two hundred and twenty-third.

_The sixteenth Monarch of the Iron Throne was **King-Regnant Osto Ozpin the Second of his Name**, called the Great._ He ruled from the two hundred and twenty-third year after the Conquest until the two hundred and fifty-sixth. His wife was Queen-Consort Joan Arc of Dorne.

_The seventeenth Monarch of the Iron Throne was **Queen-Regnant Aima Ozpin the First of her Name**, called the Terrible._ She ruled from the two hundred and fifty-eighth year after the Conquest until the two hundred and sixty-fifth. Her husband was King-Consort Vrachos Ozpin.

_The eighteenth and current Monarch of the Iron Throne is **King-Regnant Aeros Ozpin the Second of his Name**, called the Crown of Flames._ His rule began in the two hundred and sixty-fifth year after the Conquest.

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_GreatWyrmGold's Note:_ I've had this sitting in my Documents folder for a while without working on it. I decided to just post it. If I ever feel like coming back to this fanfic, I'll expand it. And maybe divide it into multiple documents or remove the minor houses or something...


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